


Altered States

by DarkHououmon



Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-14
Updated: 2013-09-14
Packaged: 2017-12-26 13:46:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/966635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkHououmon/pseuds/DarkHououmon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Animation cels contain the very essense of a toon. When they are tampered with, could they alter the very direction of an individual? And would it be for better or for worse?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Katlyn Morgan had never been more excited in her life. She had been waiting for weeks, anxiously, for the mail man to come. When he finally did, she almost pounced on him. As he handed her the letter, she felt her heart race in anticipation. She didn’t wait to see if there was anything else for her. Right now, this is all she cared about.

As her mother, Joanne, took over getting the rest of mail, Katlyn just ran up to her bedroom. She wanted to read the letter alone. If it were bad news, she didn’t want her mother or sister seeing her cry. She didn’t want them fussing over her. She was a big girl and she could handle this all on her own.

Yet she couldn’t bring herself to open the letter. Not at first. Even though the door was locked and she was all alone in her bedroom, she couldn’t force her fingers to tear open the letter she had waited so long to read. Right now, nothing was more important to her than this one letter. This letter had the potential of changing her life, and her family’s lives, forever.

So why couldn’t she open it? Why were her fingers trembling, fumbling with the piece of paper? What was so hard about opening it and reading it? She knew her family would want her to give an answer. Her family, consisting of only her mother and younger sister, were also looking forward to this and had supported her the whole way. It wouldn’t be fair for her to go downstairs to lunch and have no news for them, all because she was too afraid to open up the letter.

She swallowed hard. Here it goes. She was going to do this. She gripped the edge of the envelope. Carefully, she tore the top of the envelope off. She reached in and pulled out the letter. She stared at it, still folded up. There was something there, something that felt almost like a sticker in a peculiar shape.

This flooded her with new hope. Perhaps things were going to change for the better. Perhaps, now, she can prove herself as anything more than just a wall flower. Maybe now...

She slowly unfolded the letter, her breath and heart rate quickening. She didn’t know what to expect. The letter could go either way. She felt her hands get sweaty from anxiety. Her chest was hurting. This got her worried. If she hurt this much even before knowing for certain if it was bad news or not, how would she react to the real deal?

Slowly, she forced herself to read the letter. Her eyes widened. Her eyes darted across over and over. She felt something rise inside of her. She tried to control it, but she let it all out in one loud scream.

The scream echoed throughout the house. Before her mother and sister had a chance to see what was wrong, Katlyn burst through the door and ran towards the kitchen. There, she could see her family staring at her, eyes widened with worry.

Katlyn, with a huge grin on her face, waved the letter back and forth.

“I got in!”


	2. Hope For A Better Life

Katlyn folded her arms and glared daggers at her sister, Samantha. The brunette was folding Katlyn’s clothes into the suitcase. She likely thought this was doing her older sister a favor, but the blonde had other thoughts. She grabbed one of her brand new shirts away from Samantha and shook it in front of her face.

“Hey, hey, I can do it myself!” Katlyn hissed as she through the piece of clothing into the suitcase. “I am old enough to do it myself, you know!”

The shirt landed in the suitcase and immediately unfolded. It didn’t stay in the suitcase. The long sleeves spilled over the side and hung there. Katlyn groaned in frustration and shoved the shirt’s sleeves back into the case. The motion caused some of the other clothes to become unfolded and it became a mess.

Samantha stood there, smirking. She watched as Katlyn tried to put the clothes away. Samantha could only shake her head in disappointment at her older sister.

“You are four years older than me and you still dunno how to fold clothes.” Samantha commented coolly.

“Shut up!” Katlyn snapped. “Don’t forget, I’m the one who got us out of this dump! I’m the reason we’re moving to-”

Samantha waved her hand dismissively. “Whatever you say, sis. I just hope your acting skills are better than your folding skills.” She eyed the suitcase in mild disgust. While Katlyn got it closed, some clothing stuck out, like some amateur did it. “Because if not, we’re all in big trouble.”

Katlyn growled. While she cared about her sister and understood she was just trying to help, there were times she wished she would just back off. Samantha was younger, but acted more like an adult at times. This wasn’t the first time where she was chastised by her little sister regarding her folding clothing. She would expect this more from her mother, since she is the one who folds her clothes for her.

On the contrary, Joanne was more laid back when it came to teaching Katlyn life skills. She did teach her some of the basics, like how to cook and bathe herself. Yet she still hadn’t gotten around to teaching Katlyn how to clean and fold her own clothes. Not that Katlyn was complaining; she certainly found that job to be boring and time consuming. But why would her mother teach Samantha and not her?

Oh well, none of that was important right now. Katlyn was going to make it big and soon she’d have enough money to hire someone to clean for her.

She and her family had hit hard times since her mother divorced her father. Katlyn was really young at the time. She didn’t really remember her father really well. All she knew is that, after he left, their finances became tight. And it only got worse over time. In fact, they were at risk of losing the house unless she managed to pull off a miracle.

And she did.

Katlyn had sent in a video, with the help of a kindly neighbor, to the Warner Brothers Studios to become part of a new series. She had given the pitch of the series, just a basic outline. She wanted to give some creative freedom to the writers, so long as the core of the show remained the same.

Her video consisted of her doing different impersonations and scenarios, showing off her various acting skills. She did everything she could think of. She wanted so much to land this gig. When Warner Brothers announced they’d be doing a contest to create a new show, she knew she couldn’t pass it up. The video ended up being an hour long, much longer than she intended, but she had hoped that would increase the odds of her getting in.

Waiting was intense. She sometimes stayed up late at night, thinking about that video, wondering if it made it to the office, wondering what the executives thought about it. To make matters worse, her mother and sister would sometimes pester her about the video. No, not sometimes. It was every day, they would say at least one thing to her. Sometimes it was encouraging words. And others, they made it sound like the studios didn’t like her work, hating it so much they did not bother replying.

When she finally got that letter, she thought she was going to fart rainbows and do spins in the air. That letter of acceptance had really made her day and she felt like rubbing it in everyone’s face who said she wouldn’t make it in.

Mr. Plotz, current owner of Warner Brothers, wanted to speak to her in person. He said that he liked her idea of a show and wanted to discuss business with her. She was allowed to bring family if she wished.

Katlyn had rolled her eyes at that part. Of course she would bring her family. They were an important part of her life, as well as the show. She wouldn’t be able to do it without them. And the whole reason she did this was not just for personal gain; she did it for her mom and little sister. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face when she told them the fantastic news.

She remembered the hug her mom gave her. Her mom isn’t the type to give out hugs lightly. She only did so when she meant it. And oh boy did she mean it this time. Katlyn can still feel the tightness around her arms from when her mom embraced her. She would have to get used to it, too. Her mom’s character in the show was a hug machine. Katlyn groaned at the thought. Why oh why did she have her mom play that kind of character? Why not someone a little more...sour?

Grabbing her suitcase, Katlyn walked down into the living room. It looked pretty empty. Her mom had sold some of their stuff so they could afford some bus tickets. It would take forever, but Katlyn couldn’t complain. Not like they could scrounge up the money for a plane ticket, or even a bus ticket.

Katlyn placed the suitcase on the ground next to the ripped up couch they had used for the past few years. “So when do we leave?”

Joanne finished taping up the last box. “Soon. Our bus will arrive at 12:30 right at our house.” She brushed herself off, getting the dirt from her blouse. “We will have to wait outside for them. Help me get the boxes outside.”

“Okay, but mom...” Samantha came walking into the living room. She stared at the boxes, all perplexed. “I wasn’t gunna say anything earlier, but I think now will be a good time. Just...how are we all gunna put these boxes in the bus? What kind of bus even allows that?”

“One of our neighbors, Mr. Johnson, has agreed to drive our luggage all the way over. Free of charge.” Joanne sighed softly. “What a nice man.”

Samantha wrinkled her nose. “Then why aren’t we driving with him instead of a dingy old bus?”

Katlyn playfully patted her sister on the back. “Because we wouldn’t fit in there. Especially with all of your stuff!”

Samantha knocked Katlyn’s hand back and glared at her. “I don’t have that much stuff!”

“Are you joking?” Katlyn raised an eyebrow. “I could see the Eiffel Tower if I stood on all of your stuff in a pile.”

Before the two girls could argue further, Joanne clapped her hands hard a few times. The two knew what that meant. Either shut up or face the consequences. Both girls turned to their mother and bowed their heads. Joanne glared at them with folded arms, shaking her head in disappointment.

Without saying a word, she snapped her finger at them and pointed at two boxes. On cue, Katlyn and Samantha began to lug the boxes outside. The process was slow and exhausting. It took about two hours to get everything outside.

The first one to arrive was Mr. Johnson. Joanne had hoped this would be the case. She didn’t want to leave her stuff outside the house unguarded. She and Mr. Johnson shared a few words as he loaded all the boxes onto his pickup truck. He strapped it all down with thick leather, enough to hold everything in almost any weather.

When the bus came an hour later, the three began to board it. Before Katlyn did, there was slight hesitation. She looked back at the house. There was a feeling of dread coming to her mind. What if she was a failure? What if they sold almost everything they owned...for nothing? Could this shell of a house really become their home again?

The idea made her nervous. It froze her in her tracks and made her re-think everything. She could take the risk and go to the Warner Studios, or she could stay here, in the familiar, in what she already knew, and not risk hurting herself or her family.

“Come on! We don’t have all day, lady!” The bus driver spat at the blonde.

Katlyn’s eyes widened. No, she couldn’t allow fear to take a hold of her. This was a new chance at life, a new start. Sure it’ll be rocky at first, but it’ll all be worth it when she starts getting her checks and shares them with her family.

Katlyn took a step onto the bus. She hesitated only for a second. She handed the driver her ticket and went to join her mother. Seconds later, the bus started to move. Katlyn looked out of the window, staring as the familiar houses passed her at amazing speed.

As they exited town and started to go onto the highway, one thought kept hanging around her mind. And it was enough to make her smile.

Life was about to get better. So much better.


End file.
